Inspections

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT INSPECTIONS

If you have city business in Newport Beach, you better get it done before Christmas. From Dec. 24 through Dec. 31, City Hall, the libraries, and recreation programs will be closed. Offices re-open Jan. 3. Newport Beach police, fire and marine departments, along with trash collection and street sweeping, will still operate as scheduled. There will be no street sweeping on Dec. 24, 30 or 31. The closures save the city money on employee leave time and utility and maintenance costs, city officials said in a news release.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, my family and I encountered a vehicle inspection stop on Fairview Avenue conducted by the Costa Mesa Police Department. A sign had been placed at the San Diego Freeway overpass telling motorists that they would need to show their driver's licenses and/or vehicle registration forms for their cars. I was alarmed by this action. The stopping of vehicles to search for a driver's license or vehicle registration form without probable cause seems to be a violation of our civil rights, particularly those rights under the 4th Amendment.

-- Deirdre Newman UCI earth scientist named endowed chair UC Irvine atmospheric scientist Michael Prather, one of the world's top experts in global climate change, has been named the Fred Kavli Endowed Chair in Earth System Science. The position was created with a $1-million gift from The Kavli Foundation, founded by Santa Barbara entrepreneur Fred Kavli. The foundation gave the gift to the Department of Earth System Science so that an internationally prominent researcher in the geosciences could hold the new chair.

Marisa O'Neil and Alicia Robinson Problems including unsafe kennels, poor drainage, rodent infestation and improperly disposed-of animal carcasses have been rectified at the city's contracted animal shelter, but an oversight committee should keep tabs on the facility, City Council members heard Tuesday. The council held a study session Tuesday to examine what improvements have been made at the Orange County Humane Society in Huntington Beach since former volunteers accused shelter administrators last September of improperly caring for animals.

Marisa O'Neil State inspectors complimented the Newport-Mesa Unified School District after reviewing several of its government-funded programs this week. A team from the California Department of Education found only one program not in compliance after checking Estancia High School, TeWinkle Middle School, Wilson Elementary School and Harper Child Development Center to make sure they are using the funds properly. A sampling of schools in each district in the state gets audited every four years to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations.

Southern California Edison wants to restart one of the two reactors at its San Onofre nuclear plant, which has been shuttered for eight months over safety concerns, officials said Thursday. The plant's Unit 2 reactor was offline for routine inspections and maintenance when a steam generator tube in Unit 3 sprung a leak on Jan. 31, releasing a small amount of radioactive steam. That led to the discovery that the tubes in the newly replaced steam generators were wearing out more quickly than expected, including some that showed an unusual type of wear caused by tubes rubbing against adjacent tubes.

Editor's note: This corrects the headline, subhead and outcome of the signage ordinance. COSTA MESA — The city could spend upward of $180,000 for modernizing the development services department, from a new website to expanded online tools and equipment for code enforcement. In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the City Council approved including $130,000 in its preliminary budget to install a wireless connection and software between city workers in the field and the city's in-house network for code enforcement and building inspections.

Paul Clinton A hot, dry summer has turned the scrub brush in Buck Gully and three other canyons in the city into a fire hazard, city officials say. It could cost homeowners as much as $10,000 to safeguard the area. "Buck Gully and the other natural areas around the city are of concern," said Donna Boston, a spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Fire Department. "Fuel, what we call brush, is at a higher growth and it's extremely dry." City leaders say homeowners and homeowners' associations should crack down on the problem.

Costa Mesa homeowners wanting to fix up their digs will get a chance this fall to avoid construction permit fees and have their plans processed faster by the city. The City Council approved the third round of the Residential Remodeling Incentive Program on Tuesday. During the first two years, the three-and-a-half to four-month program cost the city a total of $928,000 in waived fees, staff time and inspections. However, it spurred homeowners to make $27 million in improvements, which boosts the city's tax base.

Officials from the state board that oversees salons and beauticians stopped in Costa Mesa on Monday to announce a weekend sweep for license violations in Orange County netted more than $50,000. The California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Board of Barbering and Cosmetology conducted unannounced inspections of more than a dozen barber shops, nail and hair salons in Santa Ana Saturday and found more than 100 violations of businesses and people practicing without a license, officials from Paul Mitchell The School in Costa Mesa said.